


Irresistible Urges

by Kai10



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Kleptomania, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25123333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kai10/pseuds/Kai10
Summary: In which, Shinichi is kleptomaniac and Kaito accidentally became a detective.Role Reversal AU!
Relationships: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Comments: 17
Kudos: 179





	1. Steal

**Author's Note:**

> • Conan and KID never happened  
> • Kuroba Toichi is alive  
> • Black organization does not exist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi suddenly has the urge to steal, even though he knows it's wrong, he just can't seem to stop.

It has started out with his friend's bracelet. It was a handmade bracelet, made with colourful threads consisting of blue, pink, and yellow. Each twirled around like a hair in a braid. It was a friendship bracelet she received when she was still in junior high school. It was Sonoko's idea and Ran had agreed to participate in it, they each created a bracelet which they will exchange for the other bracelet, it's a sign for their everlasting friendship. And while Shinichi did not make a single bracelet, Ran was thoughtful enough to make him one. He had bought her a necklace the very next day.

Unlike Shinichi, who stored the bracelet in his bottom desk drawer— never to see the light again— Ran and Sonoko had worn theirs and never took it off for three years. So he really shouldn't be surprised to see a handmade bracelet lying around on his dining table.

Ran had come over today because it was the weekend. Her father is out drinking while her friend, Sonoko, is out on a date with Makoto. With nothing else to do, she had visited him instead. Since it was near afternoon, Shinichi offered her to stay for lunch.

Ran felt slightly guilty to suddenly barge into Shinichi's house without prior notice and had Shinichi cook for her too, thus she wanted to help wash the dishes. And thus, her bracelet is on the table away from the dangerous zone.

He stared at the innocent item, absently reaching towards the bracelet to grab it, and slid it into the depths of his pocket. He then resumed his activities of getting the dirty dishes to the sink. His act went unnoticed as Ran was on her back.

"Shinichi," Ran called as she looked beneath the table and the chairs, looking frantically for the bracelet. "Have you seen my bracelet?"

He did not reply quickly, only when Ran had called him once again did he reply. "No," he lied, a shaky breath left him, he hoped his words weren't trembling as hard as his hands. "Didn't you put it on the table?"

"Yeah, but I couldn't find it." He heard her moving a chair, creating a squeaking noise. "I can't find it on the floor either."

He took a deep breath, "maybe it fell and you accidentally kicked it somewhere?"

"I don't know…" she trailed off, confirming that it was not underneath the table, she began searching at the small gap beneath the counter. With her back turned once again, he took this chance to drop the bracelet beside her. It landed without a sound.

"Ran." She hummed in acknowledgement, ducking her head as it touched the floor to see if there was a colourful bracelet, she didn't, it was too dark. "It's beside your feet."

Startled, she looked down and sure enough, there was her bracelet beside her feet, she must've missed it when she was kneeling down. "Ah, thank God," picking it up, she slipped the bracelet on to her wrist, next time she'll just put it in her pocket.

With her bracelet secured, she had gone home having a text from her father asking where she was. Leaving Shinichi alone to his own thoughts, _why had I stolen it?_ And he continued to ask himself until he turned in for the night.

His chest had been stinging since Ran went home. He decides to ignore it.

It continues from there. From stealing his friends' belongings to outright stealing items from stores. The enjoyment he has for stealing grew along with the stinging feeling in his chest. It became unbearable until he returned the items to its rightful owners, and paid the goods he stole from the stores several days after (in secret, of course). The stinging became bearable after that, but it was still there.

And, nowadays, he notices Ran glancing at his direction whenever there's news of a missing item from one of their classmates. He suspected Ran may have suspicion of him, but she never brought it up. Possibly because of unsureness. Or most likely, she doesn't want to believe it.

•

"Where are we going?" He questioned, yawning as he went. Today was Friday and he had planned to take a nap for the rest of the day when suddenly Ran took him out on an outing, saying that Sonoko had invited them to somewhere he doesn't know.

"To Haido Art Museum," Ran helpfully supplied, "Sonoko said her Uncle found some sort of gem last week and just put it in the museum yesterday. Sonoko invited us to see it."

He sighed, so he was being dragged to see a polished shining rock with minerals that normal rocks don't have. It's not like it's worth anything except for decoration.

"It's very beautiful, Ran!" Sonoko exclaimed ecstatically, "I wish Makoto-san someday will give me a ring with a gem that beautiful!"

"Sonoko, didn't you say the gem cost over 500 million yen? I don't think he could afford that."

"Any gem would do if it's beautiful!"

He tuned out the rest of the conversation as they walked towards the train station, looking at the gray pavement below. He couldn't risk looking up and finding an item he would want to steal. The urge would be irresistible and he couldn't control it.

The gem was located at the center of the museum, surrounded by other crafts and paintings. The girls were in awe, staring at the beautiful piece. But soon it died down, and the girls moved to other displays in the museum. No one would be interested in just staring at a piece of rock in a place full of exhibits anyway. Ran, being a faithful friend she is, listened to every word Sonoko said of her Uncle's adventures, while Shinichi just stood as a non-existent person for the rest of the visit.

Then the day turned darker and they had to go home, Sonoko having a strict mother and Ran needed to cook for dinner.

Before Shinichi and Ran parted ways, Ran had asked him over for dinner but he had declined. After dinner, he wanted to go straight to bed.

•

"The gem is gone!" Sonoko shrieked.

Ran blinked.

"What?" She frowned.

"The gem!" Sonoko repeated, horrified, her nails were digging moon crescents at how clenched it is. "It's– it's– it's gone!" She sniffed.

Ran placed her hands on her shoulder and rubbed her back, soothing her. "Calm down, Sonoko. How did it happen?"

"We– we don't know! The security cameras didn't catch anyone, and the patrolling guards didn't spot anyone! It's as if a ghost had stolen it!" She sobbed, "and– and Ojisama spent millions trying to find that gem! But now it's gone!"

"Sonoko—"

"Why are you so loud at my front door, Sonoko?" Ran turned to see Shinichi appear behind them, right, they were at his house.

"You!" Sonoko charged swiftly past Ran to cling onto Shinichi's shirt. "You! Help me find the culprit of the thief! Please! Help me, you Holmes-geek!"

"Hey, get off!" He hissed, pushing away the offensive hands from tearing his shirt, "geez, calm down, what happened?"

"The gem that was in the museum yesterday is missing, it looks like someone stole it," Ran replied, helping the blonde girl getting back to her feet.

"What about the security cameras?" He asked.

"It didn't catch anyone!" The heiress cried.

"Sonoko, quiet down," he sighed. "Why don't you two come inside first, we'll disturbed the neighbors."

"No! Let's go to the museum! Catch the thief, Shinichi-kun, please!"

"Alright, alright! Just be quiet!"

•

The police were all over the museum, including the guards the Suzukis owned. News reporters were outside the museum as they broadcast the incident of the missing gem. A police officer blocked them from entering the museum despite Sonoko's complaints, with not much luck, they were forced to go home.

"Shinichi-kun, will you help me find the gem?" She begged, eyes turning puppy eyes as Shinichi cringed.

"Look, just because I read Sherlock Holmes, doesn't mean I'm a detective. I know my father used to console with the police a lot and I have a fair share of cases as well, but now I'm not a detective. If you want a detective, then go find Kuroba Kaito, the Great Detective of the East."

"But he lived so far away!" She retorted, "he's in Ekoda!"

"We're literally at a train station and Ekoda is two stops away from Haido."

"You're expecting me to go there!?"

"You're the one who wants help!"

"Guys, quiet down!" Ran pleaded hushly, "people are watching us!"

The two did not resume their arguments after Ran's pleas, but it did not fizzle the fire between them. They both glared at each other until they got on the train.

•

Returning to his silent, lonely house, he went straight to his bedroom where he leaned against a wall and let out a shaky sigh. Closing his eyes and letting out all the tension from the day to evaporate. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of the gem on his desk. He placed a palm on his forehead.

"I'm stupid."

Stealing from a store is one thing, stealing a stone worth millions of yen is a different thing.


	2. Deduce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito wanted to be a magician, he never wanted to be a detective. At least it was nice to know that the whole universe was against him.

Kaito was born in a family of magicians. Well, his father is the magician while his mother is just a housewife with a couple of tricks in her sleeves. So when someone asked him, _what do you want to be when you grow up?_ He then would answer with a grin, _I want to be the world's greatest magician_.

For that to be true and not just a dream, he practiced magic since he was six. He had his father to train him, improvised him, teached him. His mother would also like to drop a few tricks every now and then. When both his parents are unavailable, he would practice on his own with perfecting his learnt skills as well as coming up with new ideas. Sometimes, his face would brighten when his father asked for his opinions.

At the age of eight, his father signed him up to his first junior competition. He didn't succeed to become one of the winners, he was too nervous to do his tricks right, but it was a thrilling ride. He joined more junior competitions after that, not for fame, but for the thrill.

Years went by and now he's fourteen years old, he never participates in competitions again, instead he signs up to perform in festivals and stages in small halls, restaurants, or malls.

One time, he was lucky to meet a famous magician in Tokyo that knew his father and had him as his assistant in one of his shows. It wasn't the first time he had been in a huge stage with a large audience, he was very much experienced with assisting as well since he likes to assist his father.

Then one day, he'd been asked to do a photoshoot for a magazine that featured teen celebrities, and he accepted it (and blushed because he was considered a celebrity! Oh my god—). His mother had bought the magazine after its release, and teased him for weeks whenever she passed by a page that had his picture (and there were five pages that consisted of him).

And things had been going well, he was starting to make a name for himself, and some places had been asking him to perform.

Until _that_ day.

It was Tuesday, his childhood best friend, Aoko, had invited him out to eat in a nearby cafe because her father is currently working on a case and she wasn't feeling like going home to an empty house yet. He had agreed since he has nothing to do and both his parents are out of the country.

They were in the middle of eating their meals when suddenly a scream erupted, attracting everyone in the cafe to see that there was a man sitting on his seat with his eyes open half-lidded and his jaw slacked. Kaito could see his chest wasn't moving like a normal human breathing should.

He gulped, he is most likely dead.

One of the chefs had called the police while a waiter, who knew basic first-aid, tried to help the unconscious man when he sighed. "He's dead," he announced, eliciting gasps from other customers, including Aoko.

"Everyone!" The chef called, "please don't leave the cafe until the case is over, police's orders."

Kaito thought musely, the staff seemed pretty calm, are they used to this?

Later he found out that the cafe had in fact experienced a murder before and therefore knew what to do.

After the police arrived, they had investigated that the man had died due to cyanide poison. They found four suspects as the man had been sitting with the other three, all with motives except for the waitress who was just serving the man. One is his wife who had been in the cafe's restroom when her husband died, the other two are their friends from college. They were having a reunion apparently.

As they investigated, the police could not find the food or drink that had been used to poison the man.

Kaito gritted his teeth.

Minutes went by and the police came out fruitless.

Kaito glanced at the man's food curiously, he had ordered chicken. He glanced at his fingertips, there were remains of sauce in his hand, not quite evident as he had gone into the restroom to wash his hands, at least, Kaito suspected he did.

In his seat, he could see people going in and out of the restroom. He had seen the man go in to wash his hands. Minutes later, his wife went into the restroom with her purse. He frowned, that had been weird. His wife didn't use any makeup when they arrived, and there was no makeup sighted when she went out of the restroom either. And she could've asked her friends or husband to watch for her bag, so why bring it into the restroom...

"Psst!" He called a nearby officer, Aoko looked at him weirdly but he ignored her as the officer asked what he wanted. He whispered, "maybe you should check the fingertips." The officer gave him an odd look before going to the inspector.

•

It wasn't long before they closed the case and his wife was being escorted to the police car.

"Thank you, because of you we've managed to identify the culprit!" The inspector compliments him, his hand on his back as he laughed, Kaito laughed with him awkwardly. "What's your name? You look young, are you a high schooler?"

"Uh, I'm Kuroba Kaito, and no, I'm still in junior high."

"Oh, really now," the inspector's eyes widened a fraction, "well, nice to meet you boy. My name is Juzo Megure, I'm a police inspector. Hmm, I think I've heard of you from Nakamori-keibu. Ah! Is your companion perhaps his daughter?"

The three of them talked to get to know each other until the two students needed to go home. Before Kaito went out, he was abruptly bombarded by multiple reporters who were curious about the crime scene. Inspector Megure did not hesitate to show off the fourteen year old boy who had solved the case, he smiled at the cameras sheepishly, the lights blinding him.

He thought it wouldn't hurt a bit to be a detective for one day. At least, he had managed to capture a criminal. It was unlikely he stumbled upon another murder.

Oh, how wrong he was.

The second when it happened, a body had been found in a park's public restroom, and Kaito just happened to be in the very same park performing magic to a group of families. The police were called and Kaito didn't hesitate to help the police this time. And once again, Kaito couldn't escape the group of reporters.

The third it happened, it was in the theater. He was watching some Japanese drama with Aoko and her friend Momoi when suddenly the movie shut down. It seems the person in charge of the movie got killed and accidentally shut down the movie. The police called for his help this time.

Then it happened again, and again, and it seemed to happen whenever he was nearby as if some force is forcing him to solve these crimes, it had got to the point where Megure-keibu started calling him the death magnet.

Aoko seems to agree with the inspector, but Kaito think they're both just exaggerating.

•

He met Hakuba Saguru at one of the many cases, who had introduced himself as a detective from London. He said he has his respect and was asking if he ever read Sherlock Holmes because of his nickname, that's when his mind went into a halt.

"What?" He choked out.

Hakuba raised a brow, "I said we should hang out sometimes—"

"I meant before that, you said something about my nickname?"

"Yes, The Heisei Holmes." He paused, "you do know you've been called by that in the newspaper, right?"

He then rushed home after the case was closed, feeling dread all over, and saw the newspaper. The front page had been about a gem of missing and whatnot but he skimmed over and found an entire page for himself. He would've been joyous if it wasn't for the nicknames the newspapers had written for him.

_"Kuroba Kaito solved a case once again! The modern day Sherlock Holmes—"_

_"Kuroba Kaito, the Savior Of The Police Force had once again—"_

_"The Great Detective of the East, highschool detective Kuroba Kaito—"_

He dropped the newspaper onto his living room's floor.

Shit.

Sure, he was making a big name for himself, but he was making a big name for himself as a _detective_. He doesn't want to be a detective. He wants to be a magician!

"Aoko, what should I do?" He planted himself against his friend's dining table, who was probably deadpanning him. "I don't want to be a detective, I want to be a magician!"

"Then don't be a detective, just become a magician like you wanted to after university. I'm sure they'll forget all about it once you've become a magician."

She's right, after university, he'll be a magician and _only_ a magician, he won't be helping the police anymore. Well, maybe sometimes. Thank God, his mother is not in the country or else he'll never get the end of it.

"By the way, where's your dad?" He asked, finally noticing the older man's absence.

"He's on a case."

"Oh, what case?"

"Yesterday, a gem in Haido Art Museum was stolen, dad has been working since yesterday but couldn't find any clue at all." She sighed, "I hope he'll eat his lunch this time."

A gem stolen, he saw that in the newspaper, didn't he? When he was trying to find if the nicknames were true. For the old man to be struggling must mean the thief is very skillful.

His lips stretched into a grin.

Should he lend the inspector a hand?


	3. Resist This Urge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A detective meets a kleptomaniac.

"The gem was returned?" Kaito raised a brow, and here he was trying to figure out who the thief was when suddenly the gem was back in its glass case in the museum.

Aoko nodded, "that's what dad said, the thief brought it back exactly like how he stole it. That made dad more furious and the cameras were useless again, if this goes on, I'm worried for his blood pressure."

"Oh, don't worry Aoko-chan, I'll help him to make sure he doesn't explode," Kaito chided, grinning. But inside he was frowning. The thief brought back the gem two days after he stole it, then why bother stealing it then? Is there a reason behind this act, or was it just for the fun of it?

This thief was getting more and more interesting.

"Kaito, please finish your food and don't play with your iPad."

"Hai, hai."

•

The gem was returned in its case. No sign of the thief, and no sign of fingerprints. There was no evidence of a person infiltrating the museum, it was driving the police of division two insane. But no one was worried as the gem appears to be the real one, and there was no damage inflicted on it. What they are worried about is another theft.

Kaito watches the screen of people entering and exiting inside the museum where the gem is located. If the cameras didn't catch the thief at the night it happened, it doesn't mean the cameras didn't catch the thief before the museum closes. The police suspected the gem was stolen on Friday night, it's safe to believe the thief had visited the museum on Friday.

And it means watching from the moment the museum opens and closes, the museum opens at nine o'clock in the morning and closes at six o'clock in the evening, a total of nine hours. There are four cameras stationed in corners of the room, so times four and you get thirty-six hours of watching people seeing a piece of rock in black and white.

How wonderful indeed.

He was six hours in and there was nothing out of the ordinary at the moment. Adults examining the arts while children ran amok without a care in the world. Until about forty-five minutes later, a group of three people (two girls and one boy) enters the screen.

Kaito recognized the uniform from Teitan Highschool in Beika, he had a couple of friends from there.

He watches as the two girls walk away from the gem, while the boy remains where he stands. Frowning, he kept a watch of the boy staring for several minutes as if entranced by the gem, before shaking his head and walking away. Pausing the video, he grabbed his phone and took a picture of the boy, then sent it to one of his friends from Teitan.

He typed in,  _ you know this dude? _

He waited for five minutes, then his phone vibrated.  _ Yeah, that's Kudou Shinichi, he's my classmate. Why? _

_ Nothin, just wondering, thx _ . He turned off his phone and turned to his laptop. He heard of Kudou before and tried typing in  _ Kudou Shinichi _ in the search bar, he found several results in an instant, it seems this fella was quite famous.

Kudou Shinichi, age seventeen, date of birth is on the fourth of May. The son of Kudou Yuusaku, a mystery novelist, and Kudou Yukiko, a retired actress. There are multiple pictures of the boy, identical to the one in the video, well no surprise there.

He found a few websites mentioning the few of the cases the boy had helped, and how his father was with the police back in the day.

The longer he searched, the more he was uncertain of the possibility of the boy being the thief.

He grabbed his phone once again to message his friend,  _ also wondering if your class ever experienced a theft? _

_? _ His friend typed in, _ yes, but I don't know if it's a theft, since they always find their missing belongings before school ends. _

_ Does it also happen in other classes or just in your class? _

_ In my class only. Kuroba what are you on about? Is it another case? _

_ When Kudou Shinichi is out sick or something, is there an item missing in your class? _

The text didn't come immediately.

_ No, I don't think so. Kuroba did Kudou steal something? What happened? _

_ I'll explain it to you later, I need to go now, bye. _

He placed his phone down on the desk and stretched, his back hurting from not moving in his seat for several hours. Satisfied, he grinned before he continued the recording, he got his first suspect.

•

"What!? You found three suspects, Kaito-kun!?"

Kaito grinned. His black circles underneath his eyes are evident.

"In fact, I do Nakamori-keibu," he then produced seven pictures of his suspects and handed it to the inspector, and the man snatched it immediately. "The first suspect I have is Kudou Shinichi, he's a second year student from Teitan High School. I heard from a friend of mine, who is a classmate of Kudou Shinichi, that his class has several cases of missing items. He visited the museum on Friday around three-thirty" Kaito pointed at the picture of a blue-eyed brunette boy to the inspector.

"The second suspect is Akira Takiyama. He visited the museum also on Friday around five o'clock, he was a former jewelry robber and now he owned a bakery near the museum, it's called Bakin' Bread." He pointed at the man with long blonde hair. The inspector nodded.

"And last but not least, Maika Rei. She's a night guard working in the museum whose job is to guard the gem. I heard she has financial difficulties as of late, so she's my prime suspect." He pointed at the girl with black hair in a ponytail.

The inspector was all and ready to barked out some orders to his team, setting up different groups to investigate the three suspects. But...

"Nakamori-keibu," Kaito interrupted, gaining the man's attention. "Can I be the one confronting Kudou Shinichi?" He smiled innocently as the man's expression grew unpleasant, "alone?"

•

He breathed heavily as he waited in front of Teitan High School gates, catching his breath. It took him thirty minutes to convince the man, he was worried he wouldn't make it before the school was over and missed Kudou Shinichi. And missing his own school would've been for naught. Luckily, he was not late.

Looking at his phone, there are still three minutes until their school is over. He huffed, leaning against the wall fence. He thanked whoever built the train station near the school. His legs were aching from running with all his might though, but that was okay, it's nothing he can't handle.

He glanced at the school when the bell began to chime, it was not long before students began pouring out.

He smiled at some students who stared at him, answering to some students who were curious as to why he was at their school gates, and confirming that he is indeed Kuroba Kaito. Some recognize him, some don't. He thought irritatedly that most people recognize him as a detective and not a magician, he still do shows!

But then he found his objective as well with the two girls, talking amongst each other. He plastered on his smile as he approached.

When the boy noticed him approaching, he halted whatever conversation he had with both girls as he narrowed his eyes before it widened in recognition. He paled immensely.

Kaito pretended he didn't notice.

He stopped in front of the three with a polite smile, stopping all three in their tracks. "Sup, Shin-chan!" He greets. Kudou Shinichi flinched, the brunette girl was confused but seemed to recognize him as well. The blonde girl was blushing, a fan probably.

"Shinichi," the brunette girl started, "do you know him?"

Shinichi looked at her but before he could say anything, Kaito had his hand over his shoulder and grinned at the girl. "Yup, we've met before. Hi there! My name is Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire and detective, nice to meet you."

The blonde girl squealed while the brunette looked disturbed, "uh, right, I'm Mouri Ran, Shinichi's friend."

"Hi!" The blonde girl enthusiastically waved, giggling, "I'm Suzuki Sonoko!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ladies," he winked as he produced two roses. The girls accepted it with a word of gratitude. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to borrow Shin-chan for a moment, if you don't mind. C'mon, Shin-chan!"

"Eh, uh, yeah," he stammered, his hands were shaking, his eyes looking everywhere but him. Kaito felt a twinge of concern, he looked like he's about to get a panic attack anytime soon.

"Well then, see you later!" He waved at the two girls who waved back. He caught the Mouri girl narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she may be sharper than she looks.

He guided the boy towards the sidewalk, and Kaito was surprised to see him obediently followed. He had expected more struggle, this may be much easier than he thought.

"Well, then, Shin-chan." The boy glanced up, meeting with his eyes. He has to say, the boy is kind of cute looking. He smirked, "we need to talk"

•

He whistled, the pictures he'd seen in his web search of the Kudou mansion was nothing to compare to the real life mansion. He had expected a much smaller mansion, but no, it's ginormous.

The boy unlocked the gates and the front door with a shaky hand, he didn't try to escape, nor did he try to fight off Kaito now that nobody was in the area. But that doesn't mean he could lower his guard around him, he could still attack him inside his house after all. If he did, he would have to knock him out.

"Um, come in?" He raised his eyebrow at the slight high note at the end of the sentence but didn't comment. He went inside the house, getting out of his shoes and slipped into guest slippers in the process.

"Excuse me," he said inside the empty house, walking towards— to what it seems— the living room.

"This is a pretty nice house you have," he commented when the boy moved past him. The boy jolted in surprise.

"Eh!? Uh, yeah, it's— it's my parents'," he swallowed. "Um, I— uh."

Kaito watched the boy stammer for a few seconds before placing both his hands on the boy's shoulders (causing another jolt from the boy), maneuvering him to the couch, and pushing him down to sit on it. Then Kaito sat at the opposite side of him.

"Let's talk about last Friday, yeah?" He suggest, he could see Shinichi turning paler. "Did you steal the gem, Shinichi-kun?"

Straight to the point, and the boy looked away. It was kind of obvious what the answer was from his expression alone, but he needed the suspect to confess and he would be good to go to arrest the boy. But looks like he won't be getting his answer very soon seeing as the boy trembles, but that's okay, he has time, so he waits.

The boy clenched his fists, wrinkling his pants. His pupils wide, dilated. His breath coming out in short breaths. His body feels heavy, strained, contained, shivering. His stomach clenched. His chest sting. His heart raced. _Stupid, stupid, he shouldn't have steal, shouldn't have lost to his urge. His brain couldn't think. Couldn't_ _talk_. _Couldn't breath_ —

"Shinichi!" Hands landed on his shoulders, jerking him awake. He looked up, seeing the eyes of an indigo. "Breathe, Shinichi, breathe," the man, the detective told him slowly, and he began to breathe.

"I— I'm– I'm sorry—"

"Don't be," Kuroba said, sitting next to him, looking at him with concerned eyes. How odd, considering the man has come to arrest him. "Let's calm down, we can talk later, okay?"

Shinichi nodded, he needed his heart to calm down, his nerves to calm down. This is not like him, stay calm, he brought it upon himself, this is his own fault, he  _ stole that damn thing— _

"Shinichi, your hands! You're bleeding!" Startled, he looked down, and sure enough, his palms were bleeding due to his tightened grip and nails. He sighed,  _ pathetic _ . He didn't get further into his thoughts, as he was disturbed by Kuroba's question, "do you have a first-aid kit somewhere?"

"I– I think it's in the kitchen, you don't have to trouble yourself, I'll go get it—"

"Nope," Kuroba interjected, "you sit down, I'll go get it."

He was about to retort but Kuroba had disappeared into the kitchen in record time. Left alone in his living room, he sighed, eyeing the red liquid in his palms. The wound is not too deep, but enough to draw blood. Surprisingly, it was not as painful as he thought it would be. Kuroba soon returned with the white box, and began patching him up despite his protests.

"Kuroba-san, you don't have to—"

"But, I want to," Kuroba ended. Shinichi found himself unable to counter back.

Once both his palms were covered in bandages, it was another awkward, uncomfortable silence (at least to Shinichi) before he blurted out, "I did steal it." He cleared his throat, "I also steal from stores from time to time. And people's belongings. Mostly my classmates'." He winced, that was the most broken sentence he had ever heard coming out from his mouth.

The other side was silent, Shinichi doesn't know whether that was a good sign or not (why did he even think of a good sign when he's about to go to jail). He looked hard on his bandaged hands, expecting for a handcuff to be placed upon them.

But that didn't happen and Kuroba had asked instead, "why did you return the gem?"

He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "I didn't need it," he replied. He never stole for necessities, but for the satisfaction. An urge he could not control, and the guilt is consuming him alive.

"Then why did you steal it?" The detective continued to ask.

"I— I don't really know." His tongue felt like a lead, it's getting difficult to speak. "I just feel like, I  _ need _ to steal it. It– it's confusing. For me. I know it's wrong but I just can't _ stop _ —"

"Okay," Kuroba raised his hand, stopping his blabbering, "I think I know what's going on now."

Shinichi blinked, confused.

He was even more confused when Kuroba chuckled. "My friend, I think you have been diagnosed with an impulse control disorder called the Kleptomania."

Shinichi blinked twice, that does make sense.

"We can check with the doctor to be more certain," Kuroba added, "and might as well sign up for a therapy."

"Does this mean I won't go to prison?"

Kuroba quieted and contemplated, Shinichi felt his skin crawled as seconds ticked by.

"Well," Kuroba started, Shinichi held his breath. "You didn't harm anyone and you did return the gem." He frowned, "did you return your friends' belongings too?" Shinichi nodded, "how about the items you stole from a store?"

"I paid for the items that I stole after several days, so."

Kuroba hummed, "so technically, you never kept anything you stole. But you did take the objects without permission and you didn't pay right after, and you did steal a gem that was worth hundreds of millions of money and almost gave an old man a heart attack. By the way, why did you steal a gem? From my knowledge, I thought kleptomaniacs wouldn't steal stuff that's valuable."

Shinichi bit his bottom lip, "probably because I never see it as valuable as other people do?"

"What?"

"I just think of it as a rock with minerals."

"Are you—" Kuroba sucks a breath, then explodes into a full blown laughter. Shinichi shifted in his seat. "Are you kidding me?!" Kuroba laughed breathlessly, "just a rock with minerals!"

"Well, it's technically the truth," Shinichi huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "So am I going to jail or not?"

"Inpatient, are you?" He grinned, Shinichi glared. "Well, to be honest, I think it's the Suzuki old man to decide whether or not he will charge you."

In the end, once Kaito explained the situation to the man who owned the gem and Shinichi properly apologized to him, the man did not charge him. However, he let him off with a thwack on the head, a revenge for almost giving him a heart attack.

Shinichi was also glad that none had mentioned to the public that he stole the gem. Only the police, his two friends, the detective, as well as Sonoko's uncle knows the truth. While the outsiders just deemed the case is closed without knowing anything.

When he told Ran all about it, she became a mother hen and scolded him for hours. Sonoko was easier but he did get a kick on the shin for giving her a fright and lying to the both of them.

After Shinichi consulted with a doctor, Shinichi had been going to therapy at least once a week, and it was effective. His thieving activities have been decreasing a lot, and the sting in his chest are all but gone.

He never felt so relieved before.

Kaito also visited daily, talking to him, performing magic tricks on him, and sometimes he would stay over every now and then.

Now there's an entirely different feeling in his chest.

It doesn't hurt, except it feels tight, and it happens whenever Kaito is around. He went to Ran for advice because she seems fit for the job, only to get a deadpan look and a  _ "why don't you ask Kuroba-kun, then?" _

He did, eventually. And Kaito's response was silence, a goofy grin, and a kiss.

It was bliss after that.


End file.
